Randy Edelman
| birth_place = Paterson, New Jersey, United States | death_date = | occupation = Composer, conductor | instrument = Piano | genre = Pop music, film score | years_active = 1972–present }} Randy Edelman (born June 10, 1947) is an American musician, producer, and composer for film and television known for his work in comedy films. He has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, and is the recipient of twelve BMI Awards. Some of Edelman's best known films scores include Twins, Kindergarten Cop, Beethoven, ''Gettysburg'',The Mask, Dragonheart, Daylight and XXX. He also wrote the theme of the popular television series MacGyver. Life and career Edelman was born in Paterson, New Jersey, to a Jewish family. He was raised in Teaneck, New Jersey, the son of a first-grade teacher and an accountant.Sheff, David. "Jackie Deshannon Wrote the Tune but Randy Edelman Put a Little Love in Her Heart", People, May 5, 1980. Accessed September 27, 2011. "Edelman, in fact, was scarcely 22, just out of Cincinnati's Conservatory of Music and still living part-time in Teaneck, N.J. with his parents (an accountant and a first-grade teacher)." He attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music before heading to New York where he played piano in Broadway pit orchestras. He produced several solo albums of songs (some of which were later recorded by The Carpenters ("I Can't Make Music", "Piano Picker" and "You"), Barry Manilow ("Weekend in New England"), "If Love Is Real" from Olivia Newton-John's Making a Good Thing Better, Dionne Warwick, The Laughter and the Tears, Blood Sweat and Tears, Blue Street, and many others before moving to Los Angeles. It was there where Edelman started to work in television and film scoring, while producing his solo albums which found a cult following in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Japan. Musical scores One of his first film scores was for the 1973 film Executive Action, which put forward a conspiracy theory concerning the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1963. In the mid-1980s, Edelman wrote the theme to, and scored many episodes of MacGyver, a popular television series starring Richard Dean Anderson. During the 1980s and early 1990s, he also collaborated with Ivan Reitman, producing scores for several of his comedies, including Ghostbusters II, Twins and Kindergarten Cop. He also contributed to Beethoven; The Last of the Mohicans; The Mask; Daylight; Anaconda; XXX; Gettysburg; My Cousin Vinny; While You Were Sleeping; Dragonheart; Shanghai Noon; Six Days, Seven Nights; The Indian in the Cupboard; Billy Madison; Angels in the Outfield; and EDtv to name just a few. Edelman was honored with the Richard Kirk Award at the 2003 BMI Film and TV Awards. The award is given annually to a composer who has made significant contributions to film and television music. In 2004, he received an honorary doctorate in fine arts from the University of Cincinnati. He was given the degree along with three other honorees distinguished in various other fields, including Coretta Scott King. He produced the scores for the 2008 film The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. This score was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, where in 2010 Randy also recorded and composed the Irish flavored music score for Amy Adams film Leap Year. He was awarded the Goldspirit Award (named in honor of Jerry Goldsmith) for best comedy score of 2011 for the Leap Year soundtrack CD on Varèse Sarabande. Scores reused elsewhere While some of the films scored by Edelman were not commercial successes, the music was often reused elsewhere. Themes he wrote for Kindergarten Cop (particularly Rain Ride), Dragonheart, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (particularly the film's love theme Bruce and Linda), Gettysburg and other films have been widely used in television advertising, film trailers, Disney movies including Mulan, and during the Academy Awards. Themes from his score for Come See the Paradise have been used in film trailers more than cues from any other film soundtrack. NBC Sports His music from The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. is featured during NBC's Olympic Games coverage when announcing upcoming events. In addition, it was used during NBC's coverage of the 1997 World Series. At the end of the 1996 Summer Olympics, it used the closing music of Gettysburg. In the 1990s, Edelman composed the popular theme music for NBC's NFL telecasts which was used for the 1995–97 seasons through Super Bowl XXXII. Personal life Edelman has been married to singer Jackie DeShannon since June 3, 1976. DeShannon is known for such 1960s hits as "When You Walk in the Room", "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" and "What the World Needs Now Is Love". Edelman is DeShannon's second husband and they have a son, Noah D. Edelman. Musical discography (as artist and songwriter) Charted solo singles *"Everybody Wants to Find a Bluebird" (March 1975) – No. 92 US / No. 18 AC (US) *"Concrete and Clay" (March 1976) – No. 11 AC (US), No. 11 UK - cover version of the hit for the British pop group Unit 4 + 2 *"Uptown Uptempo Woman" (September 1976) – No. 25 UK *"You" (January 1977) – No. 49 UK *"Nobody Made Me" (July 1982) – No. 60 UK Solo albums *''Randy Edelman'' – MGM Records, 1972 (LP) *''The Laughter and the Tears'' – MGM Records, 1972 (LP) *''Outside In'' - MGM Records, 1972 (LP) *''Prime Cuts'' – 20th Century Records, 1974 (LP and CD) *''Farewell Fairbanks'' – 20th Century Records, 1975 (LP and CD) *''If Love Is Real'' – Arista Records, 1977 (LP and CD) *''You're the One'' – Arista Records, 1979 (LP and CD) *'Up-Town Up-Tempo: The Best of Randy Edelman – 20th Century Records, 1979 (LP) *''On Time'' – Rocket Records, 1982 (LP) *''Randy Edelman and His Piano'' – PRT Records, 1984 (LP and CD) *''Switch of the Seasons'' – PRT Records (Polar), 1985 (LP) *''Up-Town Up-Tempo Woman'' (compilation album) – Warwick Reflection Records, 1987 (CD) *''And His Piano ... The Very Best of Randy Edelman'' – Revola/Cherry Red Records, 2003 (CD) *''The Pacific Flow to Abbey Road'' – Cherry Red (UK) / Varese Sarabande (US), 2011 (CD) Partial list of artists who have covered Edelman's songs (both music and lyrics) *Barry Manilow – "Weekend in New England" (No. 10, US) *The Carpenters – "I Can't Make Music", "You", "Piano Picker" *Labelle – "Isn't it a Shame" *Olivia Newton John – "If Love Is Real" *Nelly – "My Place" *Dionne Warwick – "You Are the Sunlight, I Am the Moon", "The Laughter and Tears", "Give a Little Laughter" *Blood Sweat and Tears – "Blue Street" *Jackie DeShannon – "Sunny Days", "Let the Sailors Dance" *Agnetha Faltskog – "Turn the World Around" *The Fifth Dimension – "Everybody Wants to Call You Sweetheart" *Kool and the Gang – "Amore Amore" *Bing Crosby – "The Woman on Your Arm" *Shirley Bassey – "Isn't It a Shame" *Nancy Wilson – "The Laughter and the Tears" *Rosemary Clooney – "You" *Petula Clark – "Make a Time for Lovin'" Filmography Film Television Milestones and announcements Platinum and gold Records "Randy Edelman Returns To CMM" , Wards } Randy Edelman, Undated Barry Manilow Greatest Hits, Live, This One's for You *The Carpenters: "A Song for You", Now And Then, and A Kind of Hush *Olivia Newton John: Making A Good Thing Better *Nelly: Suit *Now 17: "My Place" *''Last of the Mohicans'' (soundtrack) Saturn Awards * "Dragonheart" nominated by Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (Saturn Award for Best Music) International Film Music Critics Association Nomination * "Ten Commandments": Nominated by the IFMCA (International Film Music Critics Association) for Best Original Score for Television for ABC's mini-series " IFMCA Award Composer Stats ", IFMCA, No Date Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts * University of Cincinnati: Recipient of Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts "Randy Edelman Returns to CMM", CinciPulse, January 2, 2013 Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) * Recipient of BMI's highest honor, the Richard Kirk Lifetime Achievement Award "Randy Edelman, Merv Griffin, Eminem Among Honorees at BMI Film/TV Awards", BMI, May 14, 2003 * Top Grossing Film Award: 27 Dresses * Top Grossing Film Award: The Mask * Top Grossing Film Award: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor * Top Grossing Film Award: The Last of The Mohicans * Top Grossing Film Award: XXX * Top Grossing Film Award: Kindergarten Cop * Top Grossing Film Award: Six Days Seven Nights * Top Grossing Film Award: Ghostbusters II * Top Grossing Film Award: Anaconda * Top Grossing Film Award: Twins * Top Grossing Film Award: While You Were Sleeping * Top TV Series Award: MacGyver *Spotlight Award: Awarded for two decades of NBC's Randy Edelman Olympic Theme"CCM Alumnus Randy Edelman Receives 2014 BMI Spotlight Award ", CCM The Village News Blog, May 22, 2014 Emmy Awards * Winner: "Atlanta Olympics NBC Broadcast" Emmy Award "Randy Edelman", Billboard, No date Golden Globes Award * Nominated: Last of the Mohicans ( Best Original Score - Motion Picture) " The Last of the Mohicans", IMBD, 1993 British Academy of Film and Television Awards Nomination * Last of the Mohicans: Nominated (Best Original Film Score) BAFTA Award for Best Film Music Kautz Alumni Masters Awards * University of Cincinnati: Kautz Alumni Masters Award for Outstanding Alumnus "Famed alumnus film composer conducts CCM orchestra ", University of Cincinnati, No Date Goldspirit Awards * Leap Year (film): Named in honor of Jerry Goldsmith as Best Comedy Score "Spirit", BSO Spirit, 2010 ' Long Island International Film Expo' * Lifetime Achievement Award: In Film Scoring and Composition "L.I. International Film Expo to Run July 8-16" , The Island Now, July 2, 2015 *2018 Composer and Lyricist Guild *Lifetime Achievement Award L.A. References External links * * Category:1947 births Category:20th-century American composers Category:20th-century male musicians Category:21st-century American composers Category:21st-century male musicians Category:American film score composers Category:American Jews Category:American male singers Category:American television composers Category:Epic Records artists Category:Jewish American composers Category:Living people Category:Male film score composers Category:Male television composers Category:MCA Records artists Category:Musicians from Paterson, New Jersey Category:People from Teaneck, New Jersey Category:Singers from New Jersey Category:Songwriters from New Jersey Category:Sony Classical Records artists Category:Varèse Sarabande Records artists